ISTANBUL

South Korea recorded an increase in childbirths in September for the fifteenth consecutive month, according to data released Wednesday by the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

In September 2025, 22,369 babies were born in the country, an 8.6% rise from the same month last year and the highest September figure since 2020, The Korea Times reported.

Officials said the increase was supported by a rise in marriages, as childbirth outside marriage remains uncommon in the country.

The number of childbirths has shown an upward trend since July 2024.

Between January and September 2025, a total of 191,040 babies were born, an increase of 12,488 from the same period last year, marking the largest year-on-year gain for this timeframe since 2007.

New births are expected to exceed last year’s total, supported by the continuing rise in both marriages and childbirths since the second half of 2024.

The country’s total fertility rate also rose to 0.85 in September, the ministry said.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development noted in a March report that South Korea’s fertility rate of 0.72 children per woman in 2023 was the lowest in the world.

South Korean demographic experts warn that the prolonged decline in fertility could cause the country’s population to shrink by half over the next 60 years.